Note: The People Over Parking Act was made possible by the volunteers of Abundant Housing Illinois. Please consider joining as a member if you are interested in organizing for more land use reform in Illinois.

What Are Parking Mandates?

Parking mandates, also known as parking minimums, are zoning regulations that require developers to build a minimum number of parking spaces with new housing and commercial developments. These mandates typically specify a certain number of parking spaces per unit of housing, square footage of retail space, or other metrics depending on the development type.

Why Parking Mandates Are Costly:

  • Increased Housing Costs: Each parking space can cost $30,000-$75,000 to build, significantly raising the cost of housing development and ultimately housing prices.
  • Reduced Housing Supply: Land used for parking cannot be used for additional housing units, limiting the overall housing supply.
  • Environmental Impact: Excessive parking encourages car dependency, increasing traffic congestion and carbon emissions.
  • Inefficient Land Use: Parking lots create “dead spaces” in urban areas that could otherwise be used for housing, businesses, or public spaces.
  • Economic Burden: Many parking spaces sit empty much of the time, representing wasted resources and opportunity costs.

Why Parking Mandates Should Be Repealed:

  • Market-Based Solutions: Developers can better determine the appropriate amount of parking based on actual demand rather than arbitrary requirements.
  • Transit-Oriented Development: Eliminating parking mandates near transit encourages development that leverages existing public transportation infrastructure.
  • Affordability: Reducing or eliminating parking requirements can make housing more affordable and accessible.
  • Sustainability: Less parking promotes walking, cycling, and public transit use, reducing carbon emissions.
  • Vibrant Communities: Space previously dedicated to parking can be repurposed for housing, businesses, and community amenities.

Enter: The People Over Parking Act

Summary Statistics

Transit Agency Summary: People Over Parking Act Impact
Agency Bus Hubs Rail Hubs Bus Stops in Hubs Relief Area (sq mi)
CTA 1,364 464 4,710 225.61
Pace 700 0 2,716 224.34
Metra 0 240 0 165.73
Metro STL 43 11 155 18.84
MTD 366 0 1,231 34.79
RMTD 20 0 73 6.98
MetroLINK 325 0 1,004 42.66
CityLink 80 0 159 17.92
SMTD 102 0 254 25.23
DeKalb Transit 12 0 26 5.51
Connect Transit 32 0 87 9.14
DPTS 0 0 0 0.00
Galesburg 3 0 6 2.45
Go West 6 0 10 2.45
TOTAL 3,053 715 10,431 781.65

This analysis examines the potential impact of new legislation passed in Illinois (SB2111) on Chicagoland.

According to the updated bill 10400SB2111ham003, minimum parking requirements are prohibited for development projects located within:

Methodology

This analysis implements the following methodology to identify qualifying transit hubs and corridors:

Peak Period Definition:

Stop Clustering (Bus Hubs Only):

Route Overlap Verification (Bus Hubs Only):

Combined Frequency Calculation:

Qualification Criteria:

Direction Handling:

Geographic Boundaries and Clipping:

Statutory Interpretation and Ambiguities

Senate Bill 2111 contains three ambiguities that significantly affect which areas qualify for parking minimum relief. Depending on interpretation, entire cities could be included or excluded from parking reform under this legislation.

1. “Intersecting routes”: The statute refers to “an intersection of 2 or more bus routes” but does not specify whether this means routes that physically cross each other at a road intersection, or whether it includes routes that overlap on the same street without crossing. Our interpretation: Routes must serve stops at the same street intersection (verified through spatial clustering within 150 feet combined with street name matching). Alternative interpretations counting parallel routes on the same street would dramatically expand qualifying areas.

2. “Combined frequency”: The statute specifies “combined frequency of service interval” but does not define how frequencies from multiple routes should be combined. Should two routes with 30-minute headways be considered as 30-minute combined service, or 15-minute combined service? Our interpretation: We sum total trips across all qualifying routes during peak periods (e.g., two routes with 30-minute frequency = 4 trips/hour each = 8 trips/hour = 15-minute combined interval). Alternative interpretations using averaged frequencies or minimum headways would result in substantially fewer qualifying hubs.

3. Stop clustering and directionality: The statute does not specify whether routes must share the exact same stop_id to qualify as “intersecting,” or whether nearby stops serving the same intersection should be grouped together. It also does not address whether opposite-direction service should be counted separately or combined. Our interpretation: We cluster stops within 150 feet that serve the same street intersection, and when GTFS direction_id data is available, we analyze routes by direction to avoid double-counting bidirectional service. Alternative interpretations requiring exact stop_id matches would exclude many legitimate transit hubs where routes serve nearby stops at the same intersection.

Legal implications: Municipalities and courts may interpret these provisions differently, leading to variation in the geographic extent of parking minimum relief across Illinois. This analysis represents one reasonable interpretation aligned with the statute’s apparent intent to promote transit-oriented development in areas with genuine high-frequency transit service.

Data Sources

Transit Data (GTFS Feeds):

This analysis incorporates 14 transit agencies covering major urban areas across Illinois:

Geographic Data:

Counties Covered:

The analysis includes 14 Illinois counties across major urban areas: - Chicago Metro: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will - Metro-East: St. Clair - Central Illinois: Champaign, McLean, Peoria, Sangamon, Macon - Northern Illinois: Winnebago, DeKalb, Rock Island - Western Illinois: Knox, McDonough